Feridinand Porsche... did you know he was a chauffer in the military?

He was the chauffeur for Archduke Ferdinand of Austria, after being drafted for military duty.

This was at a point in his life (age 27) when he was already making cars, significantly, the Lonher Porsche hybrid, and he'd been racing that in 1900... so the Archduke has some pull in the personnel dept... to get a race car driver as his Chauffer!

photos I've posted before http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/search?q=lohner

The first 4 wheel drive... was a Porsche. It was also the first hybrid. It was over 110 years ago as well

Jacob Lohner & Co in Vienna, Austria produced electric cars from 1898 to 1906.
Ferdinand Porsche, one of Lohner´s employees developed a drive system based on fitting an electric motor to each front wheel without transmissions (hub mounted).
Vehicles of this type were known as Lohner-Porsches

Lohner produced a number of hybrid petrol- electric cars. That is, with a gasoline US engine driving a generator to produce the electricity to drive the electric motors.

While the Lohner-Porsche technology was reliable, it was not competitive with conventional petrol-engined cars. Production costs where higher.
Production of Hybrid cars seized in 1906 although Lohner produced Lohner-Stoll trolley buses for several years on.


Above is a recreation, and is named "Semper Vivus" and is currently on display at the Porshe museum in Stuttgart http://www.porsche.com/usa/aboutporsche/pressreleases/pcna/?lang=none&pool=international-de&id=2011-04-26 between May 10 2011 and June 13 2011

Here below is a picture of a racing version of the front wheel driven, petrol-electric Lohner "Porsche". This vehicle was entered in the 1900 "Semmering" race and is driven by Dr. Porsche himself.

read more about it http://www.marque1.com/marque1/2011/03/yes-its-a-porsche-the-worlds-first-hybrid-car.html

Above image is Mr. Porsche at the wheel http://asaucerfulofwheels.tumblr.com/image/58325709217
Ferdinand Porsche/Lohner-Porsche Mixte/1903

1900 Lohner - Porsche electric drive. I love the design, looks like a prop from "the Time Machine"

For a gallery of 5 photos: http://www.supercars.net/Pics?viewPic=y&source=carGal&carID=3968&pgID=1&pID=695695

The Lohner-Porsche was first unveiled at the Paris World Trade Fair in 1900 and its inclusion in the Nov 2007 L.A. Auto Show was the first ever public display outside Europe.

Developed by Ferdinand Porsche for Austrian royal carriage manufacturer, Jacob Lohner & Co, with its futuristic , was the world's first advanced electric car and led to the production of the first gas-electric hybrid car. http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/3456/Lohner-Porsche-Mixte-Voiturette.html

It was this vehicle, Ferdinand Porsche’s first major project completed at the time without layshafts and without a transmission, that gave the 24-year-old automobile genius his breakthrough as a pioneer in the history of the automobile.

On loan from the Technical Museum in Vienna, Austria, the Lohner-Porsche features a chassis and body made of wood and electric wheel hub motors ( one internal-pole motor on each of the front-wheel hubs). The vehicle has a top speed of around 28 – 36 mph with the motors achieving an output of 2.5/3.5 hp with short bursts of 7 hp. Power is drawn from a forty-four cell 80-volt lead battery which enables approximately three hours use. Overall weight 2,160 lb.

Via http://www.gizmag.com/back-to-the-future-electric-drive-lohner-porsche-at-the-la-auto-show/8335/